A Russian Su-27 fighter jet intercepted and struck the propeller of a U.S. military MQ-9 "Reaper" surveillance drone on Tuesday, causing it to crash into the Black Sea, the Pentagon said, in the first such incident since Russia's invasion of Ukraine over a year ago.
The incident is likely to increase tensions between the two nations, with US calling Russia’s actions “reckless, environmentally unsound and unprofessional.”
NATO's Supreme Allied Commander Europe, U.S. Army General Christopher Cavoli, briefed NATO allies about the incident, which was roundly condemned by the White House and the Pentagon -- which warned of the risk of escalation. The State Department said it was summoning Russia's ambassador over the incident.
There was no immediate comment from Moscow.
Two Russian Su-27 jets carried out what the U.S. military described as a reckless intercept of the American spy drone before one of them collided with it at 7:03 a.m. (0603 GMT).
Several times before the collision, the Russian fighter jets dumped fuel on the MQ-9 -- possibly trying to blind or damage it -- and flew in front of the unmanned drone in unsafe maneuvers, the U.S. military said.
"Our MQ-9 aircraft was conducting routine operations in international airspace when it was intercepted and hit by a Russian aircraft, resulting in a crash and complete loss of the MQ-9," U.S. Air Force General James Hecker, who oversees the U.S. Air Force in the region, said in a statement.
"In fact, this unsafe and unprofessional act by the Russians nearly caused both aircraft to crash."
While the United States is not sailing warships in the Black Sea, it has routinely been flying surveillance aircraft in and around the area.
The U.S. military said the incident followed a pattern of dangerous behavior by Russian pilots operating near aircraft flown by the U.S. and its allies, including over the Black Sea, which lies between Europe and Asia and is bordered by countries including Russia and Ukraine.
The White House said the drone's downing was unique, however, and would be raised directly by the State Department with their Russian counterparts.
"We have been flying over that airspace consistently now for a year ... and we're going to continue to do that," said White House National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby.
President Joe Biden was briefed on the incident by national security adviser Jake Sullivan.
Kirby He said it was “not uncommon” for Russian aircraft to intercept US aircraft over the Black Sea, and said there had been other intercepts in recent weeks.
But he said the episode Tuesday was unique in how “unsafe, unprofessional and reckless” the Russian actions were.
The US has been operating Reaper drones over the Black Sea since before the beginning of the Ukraine war, using the spy drones to monitor the area. Reaper drones can fly as high as 50,000 feet, according to the Air Force, and they have sensors and capabilities to gather intelligence and perform reconnaissance for extended periods of time, making it an ideal platform to track movements on the battlefield and in the Black Sea.
"We don't need to have some sort of check-in with the Russians before we fly in international airspace. There's no requirement to do that nor do we do it," Kirby added.
The United States will on Tuesday afternoon summon Russia's ambassador to Washington over the incident, State Department spokesperson Ned Price said.
The U.S. ambassador to Moscow has conveyed a strong message to Russia's foreign affairs ministry, Price told reporters.
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